The problem is that suction dredging in streams can harm fish and fisheries, especially salmon and steelhead. So why is there a moratorium on suction dredging in California? A diver vacuums the stream bottom with the hose and the material is flushed into and through the sluice box where the heavier material, including gold, is collected. The device basically is a floating sluice box equipped with a gas-powered pump that sucks up water and gravel through a hose.

A few folks go to a stream on a nice summer day with a portable device to suck tiny amounts of gold out of a stream bottom. Stanley says the new law interferes with miners' property rights, and several southern Oregon mining associations plan to challenge it in court.Suction dredging seems like a fairly innocent pastime. 'What the state has come after us on is turbidity, and the turbidity is no worse than it is from October to April when it's raining and we have runoff from the winter rains,' he says. He points out that miners have only been allowed in rivers during the summer months, after salmonids have emerged from the gravel. Theo Stanley, with the Jefferson Mining District, says the impact of suction dredge mining on fish habitat has been exaggerated.

They say their dredges are safe for fish and can help create spawning gravels. Miners from across Oregon traveled to Salem to testify against the bill. “The big change is, starting next year we’ll see two thirds less dredges on Oregon’s rivers and streams,” English says.īut, he says he'd like to see the state go further. It also directs the Governor’s office to send new suction dredge mining regulations to the legislature by 2015.įorrest English, with Rogue Riverkeeper, says the limit on permits is a good first step to protect habitat for species like salmon, trout, and lamprey. The new law caps the number of dredging permits each year at 850.

Small river gold dredge